Processor chips have evolved significantly in recent decades. The advent of multi-core chips has enabled parallel computing and other functionality within computing devices including personal computers and servers. Processors were originally developed with only one core. Each core can be an independent central processing unit (CPU) capable of reading executing program instructions. Dual-, quad-, and even hexa-core processors have been developed for personal computing devices, while high performance server chips have been developed with upwards of ten, twenty, and more cores. Cores can be interconnected along with other on-chip components utilizing an on-chip interconnect of wire conductors or other transmission media. Scaling the number of cores on a chip can challenge chip designers seeking to facilitate high-speed interconnection of the cores. A variety of interconnect architectures have been developed including ring bus interconnect architectures, among other examples.
Clock designs for high-speed computing systems continue to advance. Modern clock have be realized with speed exceeding 8 GHz. Integrated circuits (ICs) can use a clock signal in order to synchronize different components of the circuit or chip. More complex systems including multiple components can utilize multiple synchronized clock signals to drive and synchronize the components' interactions. A clock signal might also be gated/ungated, by selectively disabling and/or enabling the clock signal for a certain part of a circuit. Clock gating can be used, for instance, to save power by effectively shutting down portions of a digital circuit driven by the clocks when the corresponding components are not in use.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.